URL: Latest posts
Nigel Farage and next week
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My favourite Member of the European Parliament, Nigel Farage, has been honoured by a special website: "Meerkats that look like Nigel Farage". I appreciate the creativity of the internet, when it concerns myself but even more when it concern...
Back from South Korea
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If I ignore the heavy cold I have these days and which was not the most pleasant thing to get for such a long trip, I had three good days in South Korea together with European Council President van Rompuy, starting with the Nuclear Security Summit on...
EU budget and 20 years of ECHO
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Incredible how quickly the last days have passed. After some very good days in Italy this week I was busy with a lot work and preparations here in Brussels. Yesterday I had a working lunch with the Swiss President Widmer-Schlumpf, quite a difficult m...
My first day in Italy
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It has been an exciting first day in Italy, with a lot of interesting encounters. I thank all of you who have tweeted about my visits and shared photos of me with the rest of the world. Below you can see my day in pictures.At the Joint Research Centr...
Why the Berlaymonster is wrong
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My team has told me that the well-known Berlaymonster believes I should not be able to react to comparisons of the EU with the USSR because I was not elected. I should remind the Berlaymonster that I am elected by the European Parliament (Article 14...
Funny Youtube video of me
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I do not know how the idea was born to compare me with Igglepiggle, but I believe it is not so bad when some people seem to see me as "physical and energetic", "a well-loved teddy that is always jumping and bouncing" who "is curious and adventurous,...
En forme à Strasbourg
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I have spent the day in Strasbourg, speaking at the European Parliament in the morning session that I attended for two hours together with Maros Sefcovic, the Commissioner responsible for interinstitutional relations. I reported to the Members of the...
Wake up next door to Barroso
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Many important issues are discussed in Brussels, and after several weeks on Twitter I feel that even in this very short message medium many people are involved in European topics, which I find very positive. But during the last days one topic concern...
My trip to Austria and back to Brussels
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I have had two very good days in Austria with many constructive discussions. The Austrian Chancellor Faymann and Social Minister Hundstorfer yesterday morning showed me a very interesting project called "Jugend am Werk" (which means Youth i...
Social media and positive interaction
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I do not have enough time and skills to use Twitter as much as I should, but this week I was glad to get the following reaction from Federiga Bindi after I reacted to a little sarcastic tweet that she wrote about my appraisal of European Council Pres...
My video message for the 5th birthday of the European Research Council
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This is the video message I recorded for celebrations of the 5th anniversary of the ERC on Wednesday. I think we all agree that science and research should remain a top priority in Europe!Video message of Commission President José Mañuel Barroso fo...
Quick blog post in the middle of the week
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Things are moving quickly in Brussels this week with the next European Council focused on the economy coming up tomorrow and after-tomorrow. Yesterday, I spoke at at a BEPA seminar about the importance of the Community method and I met with Serbian P...
Speech at the Lisbon Council and European semester debate
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I gave a widely recognised speech at the Lisbon Council today, speaking about smart growth and the ways out of the crisis, many media reports followed, which I welcome very much. I will share a speech video with you as soon as I have time to add it.
Question & answers in Hamburg on Europe's economy and democracy
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If you follow me on Twitter you know that I was in Hamburg on Friday, visiting the future concert hall and speaking in the evening at the historic dinner, the Matthiae-Mahlzeit about "A stronger Europe in stormy times". During the day I was also disc...
Speaking at the EESC
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Yesterday, I was speaking at the European Economic and Social Committee, an institution with an important role, not just in Brussels but thanks to its wide membership from business, trade unions and the wider civil society in all sections of economic...
Greece, red tape, and Somalia
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Today was an interesting day. The Eurozone finance ministers agreed, unanimously, to give additional support for Greece. This was an important decision, and I know that Greece and the whole Eurozone have to have success with this new program to achie...
I am on Twitter
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For a while now I have been writing this blog, but seeing the success of the Commissioners on Twitter, I have decided to also join Twitter as @BarrosoDia. With this step, I want to reach out to citizens all across the Union. It is important that the...
Back in Portugal
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On Wednesday, I was still in China, yesterday spoke at the plenary session of the Committee of the Regions (thanks to my team for helping me to learn how to embed the video of the speech below!) - and today I am finally back to Portugal where this ev...
EU-China Summit in Bejing
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These were very busy days so I unfortunately did not have the time to blog. On Monday, the last of my four days in India, I met with Maharashtra's Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan in Mumbai (the capital of Maharashtra) to discuss the s...
In New Delhi
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Together with Hermann von Rompuy, I am in New Delhi for the 12th EU-India summit (and I am glad it is much warmer here than in Brussels with almost 20°C and sunshine during the day). We have met with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to disc...
